1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electrical computers and data processing systems. Specifically, the present invention relates to a home network appliance and method.
2. The Prior State of the Art
The number of display devices (e.g., televisions and computer monitors) in the average home or business is fast increasing. Often, several users simultaneously view data of different formats on different display devices. For example, it is common for one user to view a Web page on a computer monitor while another user simultaneously views a television program on a television monitor.
In displaying the Web page on the computer monitor, the computer processes and dispatches user-entered requests for Web page information over a phone line, ISDN connection, T1 connection or the like. When the Web page is received, the computer processes the data to be in viewable format and forwards the data to the computer monitor for display. Meanwhile, in displaying the television program on the television monitor, the television tunes to the desired television channel from within a video transmission received from an antenna, cable, satellite dish or the like. Alternatively, the television tunes to prerecorded television data. The television processes the tuned video data to be in viewable format and forwards the data to the television monitor for real time display.
Each display (e.g., the computer monitor and television display) has its own significant video and graphics processing capability. Maintaining a high level of separate processing capability for each display device can be expensive, particularly with the increasing number of home entertainment or information system components, such as video recorders, processors, cable boxes, printers, and the like. Many people cannot afford this kind of processing capability for each display device. Therefore, what is desired is a low-cost apparatus and method for displaying images and video of different formats at various display devices within a home or business.
In accordance with the present invention, a method for performing the following steps and a machine-readable medium having machine-executable instructions for performing the following steps are provided.
A central data management unit (i.e., a home network appliance) receives a request for Internet data from an input device having an associated display device. For example, the central data management unit might receive a web page request generated by a keyboard having an associated computer monitor. The Internet data request is then transmitted from the central data management unit over the Internet using, for example, a modem in response to an instruction from a processor. The central data management unit then receives the requested Internet data, processes the data, and forwards the data to the display device associated with the input device that generated the request. Thus, for example, the central data management unit facilitates the display of a web page on a computer monitor.
The central data management unit also receives a request for multimedia data from another input device associated with yet another display device. This multimedia data may include video and/or audio data. For example, the central data management unit might receive a channel request generated by a remote control having an associated television monitor. In response to the request for the multimedia data, the multimedia data is tuned from a television transmission. The multimedia data is processed at the central data management unit and forwarded to the second display device associated with the second input device. Thus, for example, the central data management unit facilitates the display of a television program on a television screen.
The multimedia data may be immediately displayed, or may be stored for later enjoyment. If stored, the multimedia data can be transcoded (i.e., read, compressed, and written back) to save memory space. The degree of compression can be based on a predetermined criteria such as the importance of the video and audio quality of the multimedia data being recorded. For example, if the multimedia data represents a talk show, video and audio quality are relatively unimportant and thus the data is greatly compressed, with some possible irreversibility. If the multimedia data represents a science fiction thriller, video and audio quality may be more important and thus the data is reversibly compressed. By performing most of the video and image processing at the central data management unit, relatively little processing is done at the devices (e.g., computer and television monitors) served by the central data management unit. This results in great cost savings.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by the practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instruments and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims. These and other objects and features of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, or may be learned by the practice of the invention as set forth hereinafter.